2013 National Conference Update: Workshop Tracks

written by Emanuel Cavallaro

May 13, 2013

We have a little more than two months to go before our next National Conference here in DC. Two months seems a long time at this point, but putting these conferences together is a huge undertaking and we’re all very aware at how quickly the conference can sneak up on us. So we’re already busy preparing the 80 workshops for the two-day event. (I’m currently in the middle of lining up speakers for my two communications workshops, which I’m very excited about.)

While the workshops themselves are still far from finished, we have nailed down their titles, which you can find on the conference website, and we’ve determined the conference tracks. Workshop tracks are designed to guide participants who are interested in a given topic through a progressive set of workshops. Each workshop in a track will build on the previous one, resulting, we hope, in a complete as possible picture of that issue.

Here’s a quick look at the tracks we have planned. Please bear in mind that these are very brief descriptions. With 80 workshops, it would be crazy to try to cover everything in a single blog post. You can find a full list of the comprehensive descriptions and their corresponding workshops on the Alliance website. For now, this should give you a taste of what you can expect to see in July.

Workshop Tracks for the 2013 National Conference on Ending Family and Youth Homelessness

Our ADVOCACY track will be geared toward those of you who are interested in honing your advocacy skills, learning what federal budget cuts may mean for ending homelessness, state advocacy opportunities, and for those interested in participating in Capitol Hill Day. Workshops will cover:

Funding for ending homelessness

Policy priorities in state capitals

Advocacy messaging and strategies

Our SYSTEMS track is designed for Continuum of Care leaders and other stakeholders who are trying to craft a coordinated homeless assistance system out of individual programs and services. It will provide information on how to bring providers together and allocate resources effectively. Workshops will cover:

Creating partnerships with reluctant providers

Planning an effective emergency shelter system

Retooling Transitional Housing

Our YOUTH track will cover community-wide systemic responses to youth homelessness and will focus on the implications of the HEARTH Act, data on homeless youth, as well as best practices in delivering housing and services to homeless youth. Workshops will cover:

Child welfare agencies’ role in ending youth homelessness

Using host homes to shelter and house youth

Collecting and incorporating Youth Data

Our VETERANS track will look at veteran oriented programs, research, and practices. It’s meant to offer a wide range of veteran oriented content for both new and existing grantees, organizations who serve veterans, and anyone who is interested in veteran homelessness assistance. Workshops will cover:

The next steps for ending veteran homelessness

Rapid re-housing program design

Veteran employment programs

Our CHRONIC track will cover effective strategies for working for providing the services and supports to people who need them in order to remain stable in permanent supportive housing (PSH). The track also offers workshops on overarching strategies to end chronic homelessness. Workshops will cover:

Employment strategies for people with disabilities

Connecting with Medicaid to pay for supportive services

Conducting successful street outreach

Our RAPID RE-HOUSING track will explore how community providers can negotiate with landlords, design short-term rent subsidies, and deliver voluntary case management services to individuals and families in their own homes. Workshops will cover:

The basics of rapid re-housing

Options for Providing Rent Subsidies

Home-based, voluntary case management

Our ENDING FAMLY HOMELESSNESS track will provide a broad overview of the program strategies and partnerships that communities need to have in place to end family homelessness. It will examine the critical interventions, research on rapid re-housing, and how to target the most vulnerable families for permanent supportive housing. Workshops will cover

Emerging research on rapid re-housing

Identifying and serving your community’s most vulnerable families

Using TANF for rapid re-housing efforts

Our CoC/HEARTH track will provide information about some of the major changes to CoC programs and examples from communities. This track will touch on a range of issues, including governance, performance, prioritization standards, and reallocation. Workshops will cover: